BOISE, Idaho — Health experts say that more testing with rapid results is only one of the essential steps toward crushing the coronavirus curve so states can start to open up.
Another tool health districts are using to collect data is contact tracing.
Brandon Atkins, spokesperson for Central District Health, said contact tracing is very helpful.
“It’s better to look upstream and see possible contacts and possible sources of illness, where they are occurring and help prevent those sources from infecting other people,” Atkins said.
Researchers with Central District Health continue to look into what the spread of coronavirus looks like in Idaho.
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As confirmed cases are reported to each health district, investigators reach out to people to learn more.
“You’d want to know exactly, who had been in proximity with that person, and what time frame. Where they may have been while they were in that facility, and every source of possible contamination they may have been exposed to that individual,” Atkins said.
Atkins explains that tracing is helpful because it helps health groups track populations that are at a higher risk.
“The important aspect of it, we have to have an idea of where individuals who have had COVID-19 have been to get a better representation of what it is doing within a community,” Atkins said.
Tracing gives epidemiologists a better idea of what they are dealing with.
“One of the things that is most particularly helpful is seeing what that infection rate is,” Atkins said. “It’s very helpful because it helps us see a little bit about disease projection and progression, but it also helps us understand how we can most readily battle that, try to work upstream.”
Through proactive contact tracing, experts have learned just how contagious coronavirus is. Tracking exponential growth better details the situation.
“If we were to just wait for someone to test positive or show signs or symptoms, we would always be behind the ball,” Atkins said.
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So, what does contact tracing in Idaho look like at this point?
“The measures being done across the board in Idaho for example, we have helped slow that progression of the disease in our communities. We do anticipate as things start to open back up that we will see a rise in those cases, what we are going to do in effect is make sure we are ramped up and ready to go for that next spike,” Atkins said.
To help the process, Central District Health is hiring people to help their tracing team. Click here to learn more about job opportunities.
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